In the previous year, Indian teams competed in the Skyesports Masters 2023 tournament, where Gods Reign emerged as the champions after defeating their rivals Revenant 2-0 in the final. They won a prize money of $53,944, while the runner-up, Revenant, received $39,010. This year, the tournament has expanded to include international teams and the total prize pool has increased from $146,032 to $350,000.

The tournament is scheduled to take place between 8-14 April 2024, but the host city is yet to be determined. Direct invitations have been sent to Liquid, NIP, BIG, and ENCE teams. Additionally, two more teams will be invited to participate, making a total of 8 teams. The remaining two teams will be selected through the European and Indian qualifiers.

The Skyesports Masters 2024 tournament is an A-Tier event. The format and date of the European qualifier are yet to be announced. However, the Indian qualifier is scheduled for March 2024. The qualifiers consist of both open and closed rounds, with the eight remaining teams in the closed qualifiers competing for a spot in the tournament. The tournament will be held as a LAN event, while the open and closed qualifiers will be conducted online.

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Genc ‘gxx-’ Kolgeci, Flatron ‘juanflatroo’ Halimi, Sener ‘SENER1’ Mahuti, Dionis ‘sinnopsyy’ Budeci, and Rigon ‘rigoN’ Gashi surprised everyone when they became the first-ever team from the Albanian-Kosovar region to reach a Major qualifier (RMR) back in 2022, when they qualified for the PGL Antwerp Major. They’ve since competed at, and qualified for the Legends stage in, three Counter-Strike Majors in Antwerp, Rio, and Paris – earning prize winnings worth $96,000 in 2023 alone. 

What will now be known as the Guild Eagles team will be joined by a backroom staff of some of the most well-respected figures in the Counter-Strike community: head coach Jonatan ‘Devilwalk’ Lundberg (the only multi-Major winner as both a coach and a player), assistant coach Kevin ‘Krystal’ Amend, analyst Kieran ‘KayJay’ Playfair, and with James ‘BanKs’ Banks (the team’s manager) joining Guild as a consultant to support the org.

From humble origins in Kosovan net cafes to Paris’ Hall de la Pinède, this roster has experienced an incredible trajectory over the past three years since their competitive debut in 2020. They’ve gained a cult following in both their home region and the wider world with a combined Twitter, Twitch, and Instagram followings of over 112,000, 297,000, and 137,000 respectively, and their path to success and international renown has become a success story of modern Counter-Strike.

With the backing of holistic coaching partner Ground+Air, Guild Esports will support this ascension even further, as Counter-Strike esports takes a step into the future with the launch of Counter-Strike 2 (CS2).

Ground+Air is a performance and wellbeing consultancy that will be delivering a specialist coaching and education programme to Guild Esports’ CS2 roster, designing a tailored state-of-the-art ‘Elite Performance Programme’. Ground+Air has experience inside and outside   esports having built and delivered Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Performance Accelerator Programme for F1 Esports. Ground+Air brings years of experience and best practices in building programmes from other sectors; including elite professional football, motor racing, entertainment, banking, and technology to build a programme designed to augment in-game performance with out-of-game wellbeing.

Guild Esports intends to deploy this programme to both established and developmental teams under the Guild Esports banner. The programme will consist of a blend of one-to-one coaching and team development workshops, delivered by performance experts from across the worlds of education, elite sports, business, and esports.

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The launch event, held one day before launch in the UK, saw guests check-in, taken through security and into a buzzing Terminal experience – with early gameplay, one day ahead of launch on PlayStation®5, and DJ sets from DnB trailblazers, Chase & Status, and DnB sensation DJ and producer Bou.

Lucky fans who won their spot at the launch through entering competitions were able to grab a bite to eat from Terminal’s known and loved restaurant, Burger Town, explore the space, get hands on with the game, and get a quick trim, Soap style, from the Monster Energy barbers.

In attendance at the MWIII launch event were Alex Iwobi, Fran Kirby, ArrDee and Diddy’s son King Combs who jumped straight onto the PS5 banks to play the latest edition to the franchise. 

When asked about playing the Modern Warfare III event, they said “it‘s a mad crossover with music and gaming in general – it’s obviously a really cool thing to be part of.”

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Anyone interested in coming to the SideQuest Watch Parties can sign up through the SideQuest Gamers Hub app, where members can access discounted Watch Party passes [also known as ‘special prices’]. Walk-ins on the day of the Watch Party are available, however, will not be eligible for the discounted prices and bundles. Please visit the app for more information, or alternatively contact your local SideQuest Gamers Hub location.

As part of the Watch Party events, SideQuest have created an exclusive drink as part of their Bubble Tea Menu, called the Summoners Cup, inspired by one of the most popular events in esports. The all-new and all-blue Pina Colada variation will be sold for half-price during the watch parties. A special Worlds Happy Hour drinks bundle will also be available during the watch parties.

Visitors can also expect a series of activations, giveaways and special surprises during the events. Including gifts from Riot Games!

Watch Parties will start at 8am every day, starting from November 2nd. Some stores will be open 24 hours and offer all-night activities leading up to the matches in the morning. All-nighters will take place at Charing Cross, Coventry and Elephant Park locations.

Details about the individual venues, opening times and specific offers is available through the SideQuest Gamers Hub website. 

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The WE Summit will bring together key esports and sports industry executives, global brands, government officials and representatives from the IESF’s 140 member federations to enhance the World Esports Family’s understanding of the current esports ecosystem, its challenges and solutions. Esports experts will engage in insightful discussions and problem-solving sessions on the rapidly evolving trends in esports.

The two-day event will feature an impressive line-up of speakers including IESF Acting President HRH Prince Faisal Bin Bandar Bin Sultan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, Electronic Sports League (ESL) SVP of Public Affairs David Nichel, COO of Ninjas in Pyjamas & Co-Founder of Tribos.AI Jonas Gundersen, CEO of IHC Dave Lee and many more to be announced in the coming weeks.

IESF Secretary General Boban Totovski said:

Several panel topics will be explored, including the impact of esports, education, competitive success, health, legacy, and more. The WE Summit will feature keynote speakers and discussions with global teams and brands such as ESL, NIP, IHC, OG, and FITGMR.

The event will be open to the public with a live audience. Everyone interested in attending can reserve their spot on the WE Summit’s Official Page.

Following the World Esports Championships in Iasi, Romania, where a record 111 countries from six continents took part, and the announcement of Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2024 WE Championships, the IESF looks to continue its commitment to growing and innovating Esports worldwide.

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IESF Secretary General Boban Totovski said:

The coveted prize for the first place winner is a certificate from IESF Acting President HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud and KRW 4,000,000 ($2,985). Second and third place winners will also receive a certificate from the IESF Acting President and KRW 2,000,000 ($1,492) and KRW 1,000,000 ($745) respectively. The research results will also be published in the World Esports Archive.

The application period is now open until 3 December. Submissions will be judged between 4 and 15 December, and winners will be announced between 18 and 22 December. More information on how to submit an entry can be found at iesf.org/we-academia-competition-23/ and entries can be made here.

Since 2021, the WE Academia Competition has brought together members of the World Esports Family to encourage new ideas and academic research that will benefit the future of esports. In 2022, “Diversification of Esports Events for the Guarantee of Right for the Disabled” and “Using Self-Sustainable Energy Generation as a Multi-functional Strategy to Improve the Overall Health, Wellness, and Well-being of Esports Athletes” took home the competition’s top honors.

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WCG Rivals, the first event presented by the new WCG, is an invitational event featuring competition between rival nations or organizations and will be held periodically throughout WCG’s duration. In WCG Rivals #1 Korea vs Japan held this week, pro teams and influencers from Korea and Japan will participate and compete with national pride at stake. The event will be streamed live for 3 days, from the 16^th to the 18^th, through Youtube, Twitch, and AfreecaTV, and Korean, Japanese, and English commentary will be provided.

WCG Rivals#1 Korea vs Japan will feature 3 game titles; Hearthstone, Clash Royale, and VALORANT. The Hearthstone match will be held on the 16^th at 6 PM (GMT+9), between the Korean team comprising Portia, Looksam, rimgosu, and Pusa, and the Japanese team comprising of SeseiSei, Yanase, MATSURI, and Satellite, with a total prize pool of 20,000 USD at stake. The match is the first event in WCG history to feature Battlegrounds mode, and the checkmate rule will be applied.

For WCG Rivals#1 Korea vs Japan Clash Royale match on the 17^th at 6 PM (GMT+9), players who have made their names through tournaments and live streaming will play up to 7 rounds with a total prize pool of 20,000 USD at stake. In the first round, Korea’s Team X bow (SandBox, Line, X-bow master) will go against Japan’s Team Samurai Blue (TenGod, KK, yakitori). Korea’s Team juacco (JupiterKing, Coco, Aaron) will compete in the second round with Japan’s Hinomaru Red (Pandora, GRIKO, RAD).

WCG Rivals#1 Korea vs Japan VALORANT match, which will culminate the event finale, will be broadcasted live at 6 PM (GMT+9) on the 18^th, and will also feature pro teams representing their countries. In the first match, influencer teams will play and the pro teams will be playing in the second match. Many of the influencers are ex-professional players and are expected to show an interesting match.

Korean influencers, FiveK, EscA, ryujehong, ANS, and LEETAEJUN, will go against Japan’s influencers, ade, mittiii, MOTHER3, SurugaMonkey, and Clutch_Fi. The following match will have Korea’s pro team, DWG KIA, and Japan’s pro team, SCARZ, and the teams will show off their skills honed through VCK and VCT. SCARZ is a team that is gaining a lot of attention in Japan’s VALORANT esports scene, with all members of former BLUE BEES from VCT 2022: Japan Stage 2 Challengers, on the roster.

To celebrate WCG Rivals #1 Korea vs Japan, Bigpicture Interactive will also hold diverse events for the viewers. First, a real-time winner prediction poll, the ‘I Choose You’ event, and the cheer comment event ‘Cheer Up!’ will be available during the live broadcast days. In addition, the ‘Land Pixel Art Challenge’ in which participants draw goods images for each game title at WCG LAND, will be held from the 14^th. Bigpicture Interactive will select the winners of each event through a raffle, and present them with diverse goods related to Hearthstone, Clash Royale, and VALORANT.

More details concerning WCG Rivals#1 Korea vs Japan can be found through the official WCG platform, WCG newsfeed, and WCG social media. 

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The Online Live Showcase has declared the return of WCG after its two-year hiatus since ‘2020 WCG CONNECTED’ with a completely new look, freeing itself from limited time and space.

First, ‘WCG 2022-23’ offers various contents angled toward gamers around the globe.

‘WCG Platform’ which will be launched on the 12^th includes ‘WCG Tournament’, tournament held on a regular basis and open for everyone, from casual to world-class gamers, ‘WCG Challenge’ where gamers can achieve missions and compete for records with their gameplay data, and ‘WCG LAND’ where participants can draw pixel arts and compete for ranking, with tickets collected through in-platform activities. 

Furthermore, ‘WCG Rivals’ which features matchups of various nations, teams and influencers in rivalry will be introduced. WCG Rivals will be held on a regular basis, beginning with the classic matchup of Korea vs. Japan on Dec. 16^th (Fri.) The inaugural series, ‘WCG Rivals #1’, will invite influencers and professional teams from Korea and Japan, and all matches will be broadcasted live through various streaming platforms including YouTube, Twitch and AfreecaTV.

The Grand Finals event which will mark the finale of WCG 2022-23 takes place in July 2023. Held as an offline event, WCG 2022-23 Grand Finals will provide diversified enjoyment through combination of both traditional and whole new WCG elements.

“Bigpicture Interactive aims to propose a new direction for WCG as a global platform that transcends the bounds of gaming where gamers around the world can discover new joy,” exclaimed Song Kwangjun, CEO of Bigpicture Interactive Co., “and with the company motto of ‘Happiness for Gamers’, the entire organization will make the best effort to make WCG the best global esports festival in the world.”

WCG, which has been together with the development of the esports industry for the past 20 years, will continue to offer new events and content to bring joy to all gamers online and offline through Bigpicture Interactive’s esports platform and know-hows.

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Currently available on closed beta via Oculus PC-VR on compatible VR headsets, Virtex is partnering with the National Esports Professional Association (NEPA) to bring a dedicated Echo VR event to the stadium this December, which will see some of the best Echo VR esports teams compete against each other. Running on the 17th and 18th of December, the event will showcase the full Virtex Stadium experience for the first time: watching esports competitions in live 3D with other fans. With the option to jump in and float alongside players as they compete in the Echo VR arena, fans will be able to get closer than ever to the game they love.

This 3D experience of being able to view gameplay from the center of the stadium is a world first, and it forms the foundation of Virtex’s ambition to become home to the most memorable and unique events in gaming. Experiencing those breathtaking moments at the same time unifies the fan collective and this is guaranteed by everyone in the stadium receiving the same synced live stream. Launching with Echo VR is the first step in that direction, and Virtex is already preparing more announcements for early next year, with one of the biggest esports titles in the world joining the platform.

Social integration is also an important part of the Virtex Stadium experience, and fans can create a full-body 3D avatar in their likeness thanks to the technology Ready Player Me (a cross-game avatar platform partnered with Virtex) provides. Once ready, fans are free to enter the lobby and move into the lounge bar and the main hall, relaxed hangout spaces perfect for meeting with friends and other fans, and together they can discover some of the games and fun interactions are hidden here. By removing local limitations, Virtex Stadium allows fans to watch their favorite live events alongside friends and family, wherever they are in the world. Maintaining a safe and inclusive environment is absolutely paramount, and Virtex has partnered with Modulate to ensure this. By integrating Modulate’s voice-native moderation software ToxMod any toxic and/or abusive behavior is identified and dealt with rapidly.

Virtex Stadium was birthed by co-founders Tim McGuinness and Christoph Ortlepp after meeting at a VR League Finals event in 2019 where they realized they shared a vision for redefining the esports fan experience. Former Team Gravity Echo VR player, Tim McGuinness was casting at the time and after sharing a very early prototype of Virtex Stadium immediately convinced tech entrepreneur Christoph Ortlepp of its potential. This eventually led to Virtex being founded in 2020. The company recently welcomed venture investors Anorak. VC, who were also the first investors in Oculus and RecRoom, as well as FOV.ventures, a new games & XR-oriented fund that invested, amongst others, in Ready Player Me. This new funding adds to the seed round which occurred earlier this year.

Since partnering with Meta and Ready at Dawn in February 2022, rigorous beta testing for Echo VR in the Virtex Stadium has been taking place. With positive results thus far, the company is ramping up plans and preparing to accommodate more players. This is one of many activations Virtex has planned with its partners. Stay tuned for more in early 2023 when Virtex will be bringing some of the world’s top esports titles to the platform.

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On 29th September 2022, Riot Games agreed with ESA Esports to fill the offseason of VCT, which caused initial backlash as organizers did not host an open qualifier stage. “What we expect to see at these events are competitive open qualifiers, exhibition matches, tournaments that bring together the best players, proven personalities, and, amateurs working to stand out,” Riot Games said in an announcement. However, ESA Esports held the tournament by inviting some teams, and the players, coaches, and general managers hypercriticize them.

The Criticism Continues

ESA Esports has once again emerged into the spotlight with the announcement of the open qualifiers of the VALORANT Challengers TR Birlik, which will begin in 2023. 10 days prior to the start of the qualifications, ESA announced two separate open qualifiers, which drew criticism from the clubs. The open qualifiers will be held on 10-11 and 14-15 December, which leaves only 10 days to the teams and players to get prepared.

The managers of ESA maintain silence about the backlashes.

ESA Esports, which continues on its way with an investment of 3 million TL over a company valuation of 30 million TL in February 2021, in the Pre-Series A investment tour, is aiming to become an esports organization, content and media company at an international level from Turkey. As a result of this expansion in 2021, ESA announced a 3-year partnership with Riot Games. With the signing of this deal, ESA Esports has agreed to manage the VALORANT Professional Esports League, which will take place in Riot Games’ Turkey region.

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